


Won't Let Fade

by Haleykim84 (tristen84)



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Friendship, Gen, Hurt Keith (Voltron), Hurt/Comfort, Protective Lance (Voltron)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-29
Updated: 2018-10-01
Packaged: 2019-07-20 09:45:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,880
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16134698
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tristen84/pseuds/Haleykim84
Summary: At a Voltron Coalition after party, Keith attracts some unwanted attention.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Written for Haleykim's 100-followers Mini Prompt Fest over at tumblr! 
> 
> Anon prompt: "Someone being like "handsy" with Keith? (not sexual, but like face-touching and stuff. Always creeps me out. I imagine it would be uncomfy for K too, since he's all lone-wolf and stuff.)"
> 
> Thanks so much for the prompt, Anon! I know this probably isn't quite what you had in mind, but I hope you'll enjoy it anyway! :) (Also, sorry it took me so long to get this written; I didn't mean for it to get this long!)
> 
> As always, a very special thank you to my wonderful beta Black Friar!

Keith rolls his eyes as he watches Lance chat up the third Caldozian girl of the evening. They're at a Voltron Coalition after party on planet Caldoz, and Lance of course is completely in his element, whereas Keith is…decidedly less so.

The music's loud, the dance floor crowded, and Keith feels like a fish out of water, trying not to suffocate in the stifling, close air in the alien dancehall. He's kind of glad now that they had come to the party in their casual outfits rather than their Paladin armor, because he's sure he would've been sweating buckets otherwise.

He sticks to the edges of the crowd and tries to blend in with the walls. Despite his best efforts, an alien suddenly appears at his elbow.

"Not a fan of parties?" the alien asks him.

Keith glances over. It appears to be a humanoid male, though Keith isn't sure what species he belongs to. The man is tall, taller than both Hunk and Shiro, lean, with gray dreadlocks down to his mid-back. Bluish veins stand out on pale skin that stretches across a round face. Silver ridges on his forehead match his silver robes.

"Not really a fan of crowds," Keith replies, gaze shifting back to the dance floor. He spots Hunk on the other side of the room, sampling an assortment of snacks displayed on the refreshments table, and Shiro chatting with a Bozian dignitary a few feet away.

The man beside Keith laughs and rests a hand on Keith's bare arm. "Neither am I to be quite honest," he says.

Keith stiffens. The man's touch is light and non-restrictive, but it still sends ice down Keith's spine. Suppressing the immediate urge to yank his arm away, Keith frowns and looks over again. "And you are?"

"Forgive me," the man says with a genial smile and an incline of his head. "I am Ga'Rek. You are the Red Paladin, correct?"

"That's right," Keith replies with a nod. The man hasn't removed his hand and it sets his teeth on edge. Something about this guy feels _off_. He stifles a relieved sigh when Ga'Rek finally does take his hand off Keith's arm.

"I have heard interesting stories about you. Are you not also a member of the Blade of Marmora?" Ga'Rek asks.

Keith frowns. "How do you know about that?" he snaps, then takes a breath. He's a Paladin of Voltron at a Coalition Party. He can't just go around blowing up at people. "Sorry. It's not supposed to be common knowledge."

Ga'Rek smiles. "That's alright, and I don't believe it is common knowledge." He leans towards Keith conspiratorially. The guy's towering over him now and Keith stomps on the impulse to take a step back.

"I am able to sense the luxite in the blade you carry," Ga'Rek says, nodding at the dagger at Keith's back. "The Blade of Marmora are the only ones – that I know of – who carry luxite weapons."

"Oh," Keith says, and blanks on what to say next. He wants to steer the conversation away from the Blade of Marmora, or rather, he just wants to end the conversation period, but doesn't know how to go about it without being rude.

He gropes for something to say, and can feel a headache start to build behind his eyes. Nothing sucks the energy out of him quite like having to try and socialize with people he doesn't know and doesn't feel particularly comfortable around.

Thankfully, Hunk comes to Keith's rescue.

"Dude!" Hunk exclaims when he pops up on Keith's other side. He's holding what looks like a tart in each hand. "You have _got_ to try these Borallic cupcakes! They're _incredible_ and- whoops! Sorry," he says when he spots the alien gentleman standing beside Keith, "didn't mean to interrupt."

Ga'Rek simply smiles, eyes flickering briefly to Hunk, before shifting back to Keith. "That's quite alright. I have taken up enough of the Red Paladin's time as it is. It was good of you to keep me company," he tells Keith with another genial smile. He wraps his fingers around Keith's upper arm and gives it a squeeze, then drags his hand down, leaving goose bumps along Keith's skin in its wake. He lets go and leaves before Keith can recover from his shock – which is just as well, because he's pretty sure Shiro and Allura wouldn't approve of Keith decking an alien dignitary just because he made him uncomfortable. If the guy even was a dignitary.

Keith takes a calming breath and unclenches his fists, turning back to Hunk…who is scowling at Ga'Rek's retreating back? Keith raises his brows.

"Uh…Hunk? What's-?"

"Okay, what's that guy's deal?" Hunk demands.

Keith blinks. "What do you mean?"

"I mean the way he was looking at you, and- and _touched_ you like that! Creeps me out, man," Hunk huffs.

"Oh." Keith rubs his arm and shrugs, oddly pleased that at least he wasn't the only one unnerved by Ga'Rek. "Maybe it's just his species' custom or something."

"I dunno, man. I know some species are real big on physical contact and stuff, but this dude was downright creepy," Hunk insists.

Keith sweeps his gaze around the dancehall, but the man appears to have disappeared into the crowd. "Well, he's gone now," he says, turning back to Hunk. "Uh. Hunk, you're crushing your cupcakes."

Hunk looks down at his hands, which are now covered in what might've been purple pudding, the cupcakes squashed between his fingers. "Aw man! And they were the last ones, too!"

Keith chuckles and gives him a sympathetic pat on the shoulder. Hunk leaves in search of the washrooms, and Keith folds his arms across his chest and leans back against the wall once more.

As the evening progresses, so does his headache. It throbs against his temples, the loud music pounding in his ears, and he swallows against a rising nausea. When a shiver runs through him, he wonders if he's coming down with something. More than that, something feels off. _Wrong_. But he can't put his finger on what.

Shiro materializes beside him. "Hey, Keith, do you- whoa, you okay?" he asks, peering at Keith's face with sudden concern.

"Fine. Why?" Keith replies, rubbing his arm. It feels cold. Numb.

"You look a little pale."

Keith shrugs. "Just a headache. Think I just need some air."

"I'll come with you."

"No, you go have fun," Keith says, waving him off. "I'll be right back."

Shiro frowns, but lets it go. "Okay. But if you don't feel any better after, let me know."

"Sure," Keith replies, though Shiro probably already knows he won't.

There's a cool breeze outside, and Keith realizes he forgot his jacket. The fresh air doesn't do him much good – the atmosphere is thinner than he's used to – but at least it's quieter. He's jostled by a drunk alien that stumbles into him on its way back to the party, and Keith grits his teeth, trying to keep his churning stomach under control. He rounds the corner from the main entrance to get away from the stragglers, and leans back against the wall.

He can't stop shivering, and he's really starting to regret leaving his jacket behind. He feels drained, light-headed, like something's sucked the energy right out of him. He hunches over, hands on his knees, trying to take deep breaths.

A shadow falls over him and then there's a hand on his back. It burns like ice through his shirt and Keith tries to jerk away, but the cold has already pierced his veins and numbed his limbs. There's a white flash, followed by an explosion of pain in his head, and everything goes black.

oOo

When he wakes, he finds himself staring up at a partially overcast sky, clouds like ancient dirigibles floating peacefully past, occasionally obscuring blinking stars. His head's hammering and he's shivering, lying on his back on cold, hard ground. His limbs feel heavy, wrong, and before he can even try to get his hands under him, a shrouded figure leans over him and Keith's brain comes back online in a rush.

He was attacked!

His heart rate spikes and adrenaline shoots through him. It helps in getting his limbs to respond and he manages to scramble backwards until his back slams into something solid. The figure follows him and boxes him in. He's trapped.

Keith kicks out – it's slow and weak, nothing like his usual powerful kicks, but he still manages to catch the figure off-guard. His foot connects and his attacker stumbles back for a moment, its hood dropping down, revealing silver forehead ridges, blue veins and an angry pale face.

Keith has just enough time to register who it is before Ga'Rek is on him. The man surges forward and straddles Keith, ice-cold hands gripping either side of Keith's face.

The moment the thin fingers come into contact with Keith's skin, a chill spreads throughout his body like poison, and Keith gasps, eyes widening. It feels like the man is sucking all of Keith's body heat out of him, leaving a cold emptiness in its wake. It permeates his skin, his veins, infecting every single cell.

"You burn like fire," he hears Ga'Rek rasp, face a breath from his own. "Such powerful Quintessence…I've never felt anything like it!"

Blunt fingertips dig into Keith's cheeks and forehead, hard enough to bruise, and suddenly it feels like his skin is being flayed open by frigid knives. He screams, but hardly any sound comes out, his strength already severely depleted. It takes everything he has to lift his arms and try to push Ga'Rek off, but he doesn't have anything left to give.

He stares in horror at the face hanging above him – veins popping, eyes wide and crazed, mouth hanging open in a sick kind of pleasure that makes Keith want to vomit. His legs twitch uselessly, and his vision greys around the edges.

The fingers dig in even further, shifting to press into his temples, and he gasps as his head explodes in agony, the pain stealing his breath and draining the last of his strength-

"Get the hell off of him! Right NOW!"

Ga'Rek jerks back, and the second his hands leave Keith's face he can breathe again. He gulps in air like a drowning man, and manages to turn his head enough to see Lance standing a few feet away. He has his bayard up and trained at Ga'Rek's head.

Keith fights to stay alert. Ga'Rek's crouched over him, feet on either side of his waist, as if Keith is his possession and needs to be guarded. But Keith can feel his body shutting down, and it takes far more effort than it should to keep his eyes open.

"Okay, Dreadlocks, now step away from him," he hears Lance say through the rush of blood in his ears. "NOW!"

Ga'Rek doesn't. Instead, he reaches down and wraps his hand around Keith's wrist, and Keith chokes because suddenly fire's dancing along his veins and all the breath is being sucked out of him again. From somewhere far away he hears shouting, followed by terrifying, unearthly screeches and then the unmistakable sound of Lance's bayard firing. But Keith can't _breathe_ , can't move, can't do anything but endure the agony of whatever Ga'Rek's doing to him. He has no idea what's happening around him. It's _terrifying._

This isn't the way he wants to go out.

He tries desperately to pull in a breath, his vision already fading into black.

The next thing he knows he's staring up at Lance's worried face.

"KEITH! Keith, hey, can you hear me?"

Warm fingers brush his cheek.

"Keith! Oh my god, you're _freezing_! What the hell did that guy _do_ to you?"

He sounds both panicked and pissed off, and his eyebrows are drawn down in the heaviest scowl Keith's ever seen on Lance's face.

Keith tries to unstick his tongue, but it takes serious effort. "L-L'nce?"

"Keith! Hey, yeah, it's me, buddy. You with me?"

Something warm is draped over him. He catches a whiff of citrus and realizes it's Lance's jacket. Lance is peering into his face, clearly worried for _him_. It's weird.

"Keith? C'mon, talk to me, man. You're freaking me out! You okay?"

It's so hard to form words. He wants to say he's fine, but he really isn't. He's so cold, and he feels so weak. It's like his energy has been completely drained. Moving seems like an impossible feat. "C-cold," he manages.

"Okay, buddy, okay," Lance says. "I'm gonna get you to the castle asap, and we're gonna warm you up, and everything's gonna be fine, okay? Does it hurt anywhere?"

Wait, Keith thinks. Wait, where's-?

His heart's hammering in his ears suddenly and he tries to sit up, but he can't move. He can't move! "Wh- where's-?" he chokes out, eyes darting around.

"Hey, hey, it's okay, Keith, it's okay," Lance tells him, placing a hand on his chest. "Calm down, I took care of that guy. He's gone."

Keith stares up at Lance, eyes wide, breathing hard.

Lance's expression softens and he reaches out to brush the hair out of Keith's eyes. "He can't hurt you anymore, dude."

Keith grits his teeth, takes a deep breath, and tries to get his heart to stop pounding.

_Man up, Kogane._

He hates looking weak and scared in front of Lance. He's the Red Paladin for god's sake; he should be stronger than this.

"Keith?" Lance asks. "Hey, can you move?"

"Y-yeah," Keith grits out. He tries to sit up, but he can barely raise his head and even that takes a lot out of him. His head falls back with a soft thump, and he lets out a frustrated groan.

"Quiznak," Lance mutters. "All right, no problemo, I'll help you, okay?" Lance leans down and slides an arm under Keith's shoulders.

The jacket falls to Keith's lap as Lance helps him sit up. He feels the blood drain from his face and has to take a few deep breaths to keep the nausea at bay.

"Hey, you're not gonna barf, are you?" Lance asks, leaning away from him a little.

Keith glares at him.

"Hey, I'm just saying you're looking a little green, Mullet," Lance says. He retrieves the jacket from Keith's lap and goes to swing it around Keith's shoulders, but thinks better of it when the back of his hand brushes the skin of Keith's arm. "Quiznak, you still feel like an icicle. How are you not shivering your ass off right now?"

Keith tries to formulate a reply, but he's so drained he ends up slumping sideways against Lance instead.

Lance starts before his arm curls tighter around Keith in response. "That guy really did a number on you, huh?" he says, voice softer than Keith's ever heard it. "Hang on, lemme just…" He leans Keith against his chest, takes hold of Keith's wrist and maneuvers his arm into the jacket sleeve. It takes some manhandling, but eventually he manages to get Keith into the jacket. It's slightly too big on him, but it does help to trap whatever warmth that's still left in Keith's body.

Keith hates it. Hates being so damn vulnerable and helpless, and the fact that this is all happening in front of Lance worst of all.

Lance rubs his arm. "You good, Mullet?"

Keith nods.

"Think you can stand?"

Keith doesn't think he can – his arms and legs feel like dead-weight and he's just so very, very tired – but he nods anyway.

"Excellent," Lance says. "Okay, I'll help you up." Lance pulls Keith's arm around his shoulders, and wraps his own arm around Keith's waist before getting to his feet.

Keith tries to help, manages to at least get his feet under him, but Lance ends up having to shoulder most of his weight anyway. Keith's swaying like a drunk. "I- I can't—"

The world is spinning and his legs suddenly feel like jelly. Darkness rushes in fast.

"Whoa! Keith!" Lance exclaims as Keith's knees give way, yanking them both off-balance.

Keith knows he's falling, feels a sudden jerk on his arm, but he registers the dull pain with an odd sense of detachment. His eyes close of their own volition, and Keith floats away into the dark.


	2. Chapter 2

"Keith!"

Lance braces himself to prevent Keith's suddenly limp body from crashing to the ground. He stumbles, but manages to lower Keith down gently.

Dropping to his knees next to Keith, he sucks in a sharp breath at the sight of his face.

It's ashen, devoid of all color. Keith looks _dead_.

The panic that's been simmering under his skin ever since he walked in on Keith being assaulted by some creepy alien threatens to burst to the surface.

"Keith! C'mon, man, don't do this to me."

The rise and fall of Keith's chest is so weak it's barely perceptible, and Lance almost can't feel Keith's pulse. He pats Keith's cheeks and when that yields no response, he shakes Keith's shoulder. "Keith! Wake up, dude, c'mon!"

The team. He should contact the team. Quiznak, why didn't he think to do that sooner? Smart move, McClain!

He taps his communicator. "Guys! Guys, where are you? I've got Keith!"

Shiro's response is immediate. "Lance? Is Keith all right?"

"No, no, he's definitely not all right! Some guy attacked him and he's out cold. He won't wake up, but I don't know what's wrong!"

"Okay, Lance, I've locked onto on your signal," Shiro's calm voice tells him. "Sit tight, we're coming to you."

"Hurry, he's not looking good," Lance says.

"We'll be right there," Shiro assures him. "Try to make Keith comfortable."

Lance takes a breath. "Okay…okay," he mutters to himself. "Just make the Mullet comfortable. I can do that."

He works an arm under Keith's shoulders again and raises him to a sitting position. Hesitating for only a moment, he pulls Keith against his chest and rubs his arm briskly to try and get some warmth back into him. He's kind of glad Keith isn't awake right now, because…that would be so awkward. But then, if Keith had been awake, he probably wouldn't have needed to do this anyway.

Keith's eyes remain closed, head lolling against Lance's shoulder. He looks like he's sleeping, and it makes him look so…young and vulnerable and- and just- _wrong_. Keith isn't supposed to look like that!

He feels bad now about his initial reaction to the news that Keith was missing. Lance had finally managed to capture the attention of one of the hottest ladies on the dance floor when Shiro had pulled them from the party to look for Keith. Shiro had told them Keith hadn't been feeling well, and Lance figured Keith had been faking to get them to leave the party sooner.

It wasn't until he'd found Keith's Marmora knife on the ground not far from the dance hall that he'd realized that something really was wrong. Keith never went anywhere without his blade. Never.

Lance tightens his arm around Keith. He really should've known better; Keith is one of those people always trying to convince others he's fine, even when he isn't. He wouldn't have faked being sick.

Footsteps make Lance snap up his bayard with his free hand.

Shiro, Hunk and Pidge emerge from the trees, and Lance lowers his bayard with a sigh. "Oh, thank Quiznak!"

"Lance!" Shiro drops to his knees beside them. "You okay? What happened?"

"I'm fine," Lance replies, watching him give Keith a once-over. "I'm not sure what happened. When I found Keith, some freaky alien dude had his hands on him, like he was…I dunno, feeding off of him or something?"

"Feeding?" Hunk echoed, a horrified look on his face. "You mean, like, he was trying to _eat_ Keith?"

"No, no, no! He wasn't eating him, but…he also kind of was? Or it looked like he was?"

"Okay. Well, that's not at all creepy."

"Where's the alien now?" Shiro asks.

"He's dead," Lance says, panic receding now that the others are here. "I mean, I think. When I told him to get away from Keith, he started blasting these…these flames from his palms!" He flails his hands about for emphasis. "It was insane! So I was doing all these crazy maneuvers trying to avoid getting hit, and then when I finally managed to shoot him he just…sort of shriveled up and poofed out of existence. It was totally freaky."

"Sounds like you did a good job, Lance," Shiro says, standing up with a still unresponsive Keith in his arms.

The sight makes Lance feel guilty. "I just…wish I'd gotten to him sooner."

oOo  


"So what's wrong with him?" Lance asks with a glance at Coran. "I mean, aside from the obvious."

All four paladins as well as Coran and Allura are standing around Keith, who is laid out on one of the examination tables in the infirmary. He looks even paler under the harsh Castle lights than he did before they brought him in.

"Just a tick, Number Three," Coran says, covering Keith with a thick blanket, before turning his attention to the holoscreen bearing the read-outs of Keith's medical scan. He twirls his moustache while he ponders the results. When something suddenly flashes on the screen, Coran freezes. "Great Snarfunkle! He's been almost completely drained of Quintessence!"

Lance's eyes widen. "So that freak _was_ feeding off Keith's energy! That's why he's so cold and weak!"

"What can we do?" Shiro demands. He has one hand on Keith's shoulder on top of the blanket. "Will the healing pods work?"

"I'm afraid not," Coran replies. "The cryopods heal wounds, but they can't replenish Quintessence or cure illness."

"Okay, so what do we do?" Hunk asks, wringing his hands.

"He needs absolute bed rest. All we can do is make him comfortable, and make sure he eats and drinks. The rest is up to Keith," Coran replies.

"But—how long will it take for Keith to regain enough Quintessence to be able to function again?" Pidge asks.

"It's hard to say," Coran says. "Could be quintants, could be movements. Could be phoebs before he's strong enough to fly a lion again."

" _Phoebs?!_ " Lance shrieks. "But- but- how are we going to-"

"We'll consider that a worst-case scenario," Shiro cuts in. "Keith's strong and he's stubborn. With our help, he'll be back on his feet in no-time."

"Wait a tick. Lance, what did Keith's attacker look like?" Allura asks.

"Uh…he had these funky dreadlocks and weird forehead thingies, and he was wearing some kind of robe?"

"Those things on his forehead, did they look like ridges?"

"I guess," Lance replies. "Why?"

"I think the creature that attacked Keith was a Vytori. They're very rare, or they were ten thousand years ago. They feed off Quintessence, and have the ability to actually see someone's Quintessence emanating from them."

"You mean, like an aura?" Pidge asks.

"I am unfamiliar with that word."

"It's like a kind of glow, or a ring of colors that surrounds someone," Pidge clarifies.

"I see. Yes, exactly like that. It's been said that the Vytori prefer to feed off those with a particularly strong Quintessence…aura, because it can sustain them for a long time, and can sometimes even give them special powers."

"Great, so he decided to snack on Keith, because of _course_ his Quintessence would be appealing to some ancient space vampire," Lance says.

"Wait. Wait, wait, wait," Hunk mutters. "Dreadlocks and forehead ridges? Oh man, it was that guy from the party, wasn't it? I knew it! I knew that creepy dude was bad news! I should've kept an eye on Keith after that guy left, but nooooo I was too busy checking out the food stuff! He was all over Keith, giving off these bad vibes… I should've- should've-"

Allura stops him with a hand on his shoulder. "Hunk, it's alright. You could not have predicted this would happen."

"Yeah, I mean, who would expect an attack like this at a party, with half the Voltron Coalition right there?" Pidge adds.

"Man, I can't believe this happened right under our noses," Lance says, shaking his head. And to think he'd been so busy chasing the ladies, it hadn't even occurred to him to check on his teammates…

"There's no point in blaming ourselves now," Shiro interrupts that train of thought. "We'll just have to be more vigilant from now on, and keep a closer eye on each other." He reaches out to brush a few strands of hair from Keith's forehead. "Right now what we need to do is look after Keith. He probably won't be able to do much on his own for the first little while, so we'll have to help him."

They all nod solemnly as Shiro carefully bundles Keith up in the blanket and lifts him off the examination table.

"I'm putting Keith to bed," Shiro says. "Let's make this as easy on him as possible."

oOo

It's two days before Keith finally wakes up, and even then he can barely even lift his head. He needs help getting to the bathroom and it's a struggle to get him to eat a proper meal – he keeps falling asleep after just a few spoonfuls.

One of the team is with him at all times, in case he needs anything and to keep an eye on him. It makes Keith extra prickly.

Lance sighs as he watches Keith struggle to swing his legs out of bed.

Despite Keith's current grumpiness, Lance feels for the guy. He's always been fiercely independent, and Lance knows it must be really hard for him to have that independence, his autonomy, taken away from him.

But man, if the dude would just stop insisting he didn't need their help and fight them every step of the way, it would make things so much easier!

Lance's hands twitch as Keith struggles to his feet. Keith's getting stronger by the hour, but he's still very unsteady and tires easily. Lance sees the color drain from Keith's face suddenly and grabs Keith's arm before he can face-plant on the floor.

Keith immediately tries to shake the hand off. "I can handle it!" he snaps, glowering.

"Oh my god, no, you can't!" Lance bites out with a surge of impatience. "You almost keeled over just now! Why do you always have to be such a stubborn idiot? I'm just trying to help! Seriously, are you like this with everyone or is it just me?"

Keith presses his lips together in a thin line and his scowl deepens, but his eyes slide to the floor.

Oh.

The realization stings and Lance's first impulse is to lash out with his tongue. But his conscience stops him. Keith's vulnerable right now; he wouldn't be able to fight back. And Lance can sort of see why it's harder for Keith to let Lance in compared to any of the other paladins…

He takes a breath and reaches for patience. "Look, I know I'm not Shiro," he starts, "and I know I haven't- I haven't always been the nicest to you, but I promise I wouldn't make fun of you for this."

Keith's still frowning. He's on his feet, fists clenched at his sides, but Lance can see he's trembling with the effort of keeping himself upright.

"Look, I don't enjoy seeing you like this, okay?" Lance pushes on. "And I know you hate feeling so weak. I just- I just want to help you get better. You know, so I can tease you about your mullet again without feeling like a total asshole."

Keith's eyes jump to his face.

Lance holds his breath.

Then a tiny smile tugs at Keith's lips, and something in Lance's chest unfurls a little. Lance grins. "Now will you let me help you, Mullet?"

Keith's frown returns, but it's nowhere near as fierce as before. "Fine."

"Finally!" Lance exclaims, moving to Keith's side. "Okay, what do you need?"

"Bathroom."

"Okidoki."

Lance helps Keith shuffle to the bathroom, and waits outside, reveling in his small victory.

When Keith comes back out, he looks pale and tired, but also just really miserable. Lance sympathizes – he'd hate to be cooped up all day too. Hm. Maybe..?

"Hey, wanna go for a walk?" he suggests.

Keith's eyes brighten almost instantly. " _Yes._ "

Lance grins. "Alright, we'll have to make sure we dodge Coran, cos he'll have an aneurysm if he sees you out of bed, but with my super stealth skills I think we can swing it."

Keith raises a skeptical eyebrow. "What super stealth skills?" He sounds slightly out of breath, and his eyes slide to the floor again. "Lance, I- I'm not sure if I can-"

Lance ducks under Keith's arm and pulls it across his shoulders, shoring Keith up a little. "It's okay, Mullet. I got you."

Keith stiffens, but lets Lance pull him into the hallway. They're almost around the corner when Keith finally relaxes a little.

"Thanks," he mutters.

Lance smiles. "You're welcome." He gives Keith's wrist a brief squeeze. "Just don't get used to me hauling your ass around!"

\- End -

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Comments are hugely appreciated :)
> 
> You can find me on tumblr! http://haleykim84.tumblr.com/
> 
> Come say hi :)


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